Vertigo (1958)

Retired San Francisco police detective John “Scottie” Ferguson (James Stewart) has been forced into early retirement after a traumatic rooftop pursuit. Old friend Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) hires Scottie to tail his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak) who has been acting bizarrely. Their daily wanderings lead Scottie down psychologically dark paths where there are more questions than answers.The screenplay was written by Alec Coppel and Samuel A. Taylor, based on the 1954 novel D'entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac. Beautifully photographed, with a stunning score from Bernard Hermann, Vertigo has become a perennial favorite for film buffs. Vertigo was recently named “the greatest film of all time” in Sight & Sound Magazine (published by the British Film Institute), ousting longtime winner Citizen Kane for the top spot.